Stray Dogs
by Shaille
Summary: A match on Summoner's Rift goes completely wrong as something bad happens at the Institute of War, leaving seven champions cut off from the civilisation. Will they be able to manage on their own?
1. Chapter 1: Sunlight

Welcome to Summo- uh, wait, that's the other line.  
Welcome to my first League of Legends story. I hope you enjoy your time spent reading - if so, I would appreciate any comments. I feed on reviews and I NEED MORE DAMAGES!  
**Note:** All characters are dressed in their usual clothes, except for Garen and Riven, who are dressed as pictured in Desert Trooper Garen and Redeemed Riven. I just like them better that way. Things written in italic are emphasises, unless in quotes, which are Leona's thoughts.  
**Disclaimer:** All characters and places mentioned belong to Riot.

* * *

**Stray Dogs**

Chapter 1: Sunlight

Leona breathed in deeply. The air on Summoner's Rift was heavy with magic surrounding the area and dense from the blinding fog of war. Every new champion coming to the League had to take at least few games just to get used to it, some feeling the suffocating pressure even at the supposedly safe fountain. She participated in enough matches to be familiar with the sensation, but still, her lungs cried for clear air every time she entered the Fields. Paying no mind to it, she quickly took off to the bottom lane, the Frost Archer at her side. They exchanged quick glances, having laned together numerous times before. They knew their strategy far too well to need verbal communication.

They hid in the enemy team's bushes, crouching in the thick, tall grass. Leona inhaled the sweet scent of the soil beneath her feet, a smell too peaceful and comforting for a place like this. She closed her eyes for a second, but not long enough to get distracted. They heard the footsteps before they could see the figure appearing from the fog of war. She felt Ashe moving at her side, taking one of her arrows from her back quiver and drawing her bow. They waited.

The silhouette could not be mistaken for anyone else. Teemo strolled happily down the lane, humming some jumpy Yordle song. He was unsupported by anyone. Easy first blood.

"Wait for it," she whispered to Ashe, who was just about to shoot her first arrow at him. The hamster edged closer to their bush, just in range of a good, solid jump. Leona tightened her grip on the great Solari shield as Teemo started his standard camouflaging routine. They had to act quick, before they lost sight of him. Not bothering telling the Frost Archer what to do, she jumped at the unsuspecting victim, hitting him hard with her shield, stunning the poor little guy as Ashe's arrows punctured his frail body with unbelievable speed.

"First blood!" shouted the commentator and Teemo's body fell lifelessly on the grass. She turned to congratulate the Archer on her amazing skills, but found her teammate surrounded by light magic, pinning her to the ground. Luxanna was coming at them, a mix of shame and fear on her face. She was obviously being reprimended by her Summoner. Leona quickly moved in the way of the Light Mage's spells, shielding Ashe from her blows and hissing from the burning pain it inflicted. She heard her Summoner's voice in her head saying her allied Cassiopeia was heading for their lane and she pulled Ashe back a little, allowing Lux to move from under her turret. The blonde fell for the trap, oblivious to the slithering danger lurking in the bushes just to her right.

"An enemy has been slain!" echoed throught the Fields of Justice as Luxanna fell face-first into the shallow water, poisoned by the serpent. The game was going to be good.

* * *

"Great job with the first blood," Riven said, as she appeared on the summoning platform and caught glimpse of Leona gathering some healing potions from the shop. Her steel gauntlets were stained with blood, and her cheek was bruised for a second, before the healing magic started its work. "Cass told me you had him gone in a second."

"Well, he doesn't pay much attention to armor," she replied, mockingly beating on her golden breastplate, the metallic sound echoing through their base. She looked Riven over. "Having hard time with Garen?"

The Exile let her hood fall to her shoulders as she ran her hand through the white hair. She took a few potions from the shop as well.

"Not really," she said, smirking. "But it's not easy, too. Just how I wanted it to be." Leona arched her eyebrows at the statement, urging her to go on. "Challenging."

They exchanged single nods as they both started into opposite directions. Leona secured the healing potions at her belt where she could easily and quickly reach them if things got too rushed. They were pushing the lane hard, having almost destroyed Lux's and Teemo's first tower, but turned out only they had it easy. Cassiopeia came to them eventually, with a word on the other teammates. Riven was still doing fine, they even managed to push Garen under his turret until his allied Warwick came to aid him, but still failing enough to give the Exile an almost free kill. Things were worse with Katarina, though. She couldn't get the upper hand on the middle lane.

* * *

She hadn't met Diana in fight before nor talked to her at all since she joined the League. She tried to, of course, but the Lunari would always move in the other direction whenever she saw her. Leona had so many questions to ask and so many answers to give, but in the past two weeks since Diana's arrival she didn't suceed in anything. This game was the first chance she had to actually spend some time with her old, dare she say it, friend, though it mostly consisted of dodging each other's attacks.

"Never knew you could wield a sword," she taunted her, protecting her falling turret on the middle lane. Diana smirked a bit, but didn't reply in any other way, only swung her sword around, sending a blast of lunar energy at Leona. She countered it with the Eclipse. She was thinking hard of what else to say as she heard soft footsteps behind her. Katarina was back from the base, her eyes blazing with fury.

"I got it, Leo," she snarled, throwing some blades at an approaching minion wave. "The bitch's mine now."

She moved to the bushes the Summoners nicknamed as the jungle and headed for the bottom lane. It was no point arguing with Katarina when she was in her battle mode, and even less when she had just been killed. Leona herself resented the feeling, as she knew most other champions did too. It was horrifying, even if just for a split second, the feeling of life being drained away from her body and into nothing. But then she was safe, waiting the time penalty at her home fountain till she could feel her limbs again, the blood rushing through her veins and the suffocating pressure of the Summoner's Rift air in her lungs.  
_  
"The air,"_ she realised. _"Something's wrong with the air."_

She stopped dead in her track, inhaling deeply. The air was clear, almost sweet in taste, definitely cooler than it used to be just mere moments ago. She couldn't feel the heavy magic field anymore, as if someone has lifted and invisible dome that has been surrounding them all this time. She moved to the shallow march the Summoners nicknamed the river and rushed in the direction of the sound of the Frost Archer's arrows piercing the cold air. She could see everything much too clearly, even the flies hovering just above the water's surface. It took her but a moment to realise the fog of war was non-existent anymore. The Sun shone on the arena.  
_  
"What's happened here?"_ she asked her Summoner in her mind's voice. She took a few more steps in the water before stoppig, waiting for a response. Her mind was silent, except for her own thoughts. _"Summoner?"_she tried again, already predicting the silence. Her Summoner's presence was completelly gone from her head. She collected her sword and shield and ran for the bottom lane as fast as her heavy Solari armor let her. Upon her arrival Teemo fell dead again, frost arrows sticking out of his chest and the Freljord Queen was just about to aim for Lux, completely defenseless under her turret's ruins.

"No!" Leona shouted out loud, as she jumped for the Light Mage, who had just enough time to look at her with panic as she tackled her to the ground. Ashe's arrow flew with lightning speed just above Leona's left shoulder. They stayed like this for a second, Leona panting heavily, Lux too schocked to even breathe and Ashe looking at them dumbfounded.

"Leona?" she asked, an uneasy tone in her voice. "What in Valoran are you doing?"

The redhead stood up, releasing a moaning Lux and held up her hand in the air, telling the Archer to calm down. Ashe put her bow down and relaxed her stance, shooting a brief look at Lux climbing her way up the turret's ruins and trying to stand straight, before locking her eyes onto Leona.

"Care to explain?" she asked, her voice as neutral as she could make it sound.

"I will," she started as she offered Lux an arm, which the young blonde took willingly. She was limping on her right leg. "There's something wrong with the arena," she started, looking straight into Ashe's face. "I can't feel the presence of the force field anymore, and I can't contact my Summoner. Also, the cut I got from Diana's blade refuses to heal. I didn't want to risk anything before checking the situation."

The Frost Archer looked at her intently before nodding, looking down at her thigh. She seemed lost in thought for a moment, a sight which Leona recognized from watching her contact her Summoners multiple times. She looked down at Lux, still hanging from her arm. Her face bore the same expression.

"I can't reach him too," Ashe said at last. Lux only nodded her head in agreement, ensuring them it wasn't only their team's problem. The blonde moved her hand to her mouth, touching the cut she got from Leona's attack. The blood was dark, but the cut woouldn't heal. Then, almost as on command, all three of them looked down at Teemo's body.

"Too long," Ashe said, as she kneeled down next to the tiny corpse. Leona could feel Lux starting to tremble at her side. It's been over two minutes since the Yordle's fall.

"Oh, no," the blonde moaned. She had her eyes fixed on the little rodent, his face as peaceful as if he was just sleeping. Then her head shot up. "Garen," she said, absent-mindedly. She yanked herself free from Leona's grip and attempted to run on her limping leg, but was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Wait," the redhead said, trying to sound as calm as possible. Lux was too young for all of this, she realised. She shouldn't have been in the League to start with. They were exposed to dying and killing all the time, not even afraid of it anymore, but it never was real. Until now, every death on Summoner's Rift has been celebrated by the enemy team and scolded by allies, but never taken seriously. They all came back, after all, even those decapitated during battle, even people completely blown up to pieces, even those who were actually eaten alive. But, this now was real. She looked at Teemo again as Lux broke into sobs, Ashe still kneeling at his side, her face completely drained of emotion. During their stay at the Institute, they all have forgotten what it really meant to die.

"Let's get to our base first," she commanded in a voice as powerfull as ever. She almost lifted Lux up, forcing her to come along. The Frost Archer stood up on her own, still looking at the feeble figure on the ground, as if considering taking him along. Leona shook her head at her, and Ashe nodded slowly, casting a last look at him before continuing after her.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you again for reading. Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2: Open Wounds

****So here we meet again! Great thanks for reading my story and for all the comments.

**Note:** All characters are dressed in their usual clothes, except for Garen and Riven, who are dressed as pictured in Desert Trooper Garen and Redeemed Riven. I just like them better that way. Things written in italic are emphasises, unless in quotes, which are Leona's thoughts.  
**Disclaimer:** All characters and places mentioned belong to Riot.

* * *

**Stray Dogs**

Chapter 2: Open Wounds

The base was strangely silent without the constant buzzing of its heart. The Nexus was down, the usually brightly glowing purple plasma now reminding them of the strawberry jelly the staff used to hand out at the Institute's Cafeteria. Ashe sat herself beside the Nexus' pedestal, taking off her quiver and bow and placing them with care at her feet. She touched her thigh and hissed involuntarily, gritting her teeth hard and closing her eyes.

"What is it?" Leona asked, kneeling down next to her. The Queen only moved her legs apart a bit, giving the Radiant Dawn a clear view of her upper thigh. Her skin was reddened and swollen, with a tiny, shining object protruding out of it. Teemo's dart.

"I guess I deserved that," she said with a bitter smile. She tried touching it again, stopping herself from uttering any sound this time, but she still winced visibly. It was obvious by now that Summoner Magic ceased to exist on the Fields of Justice. Ashe looked over to where Lux was sitting on the ground near to their summoning platform talking to the shopkeeper, who was aiding to her leg. "How is she?"

"She'll be fine," Leona answered, glancing at the blonde as well before returning her gaze back to Ashe's leg. "This looks bad, but it's a poor shot, really. It barely got under your skin." She lifted the archer's leg a bit, recieving a surprised yelp from her. "It's probably swollen due to the poison, though."

"You reap what you sow."

Leona looked up at her with a scolding expression, but the archer had her eyes set on the ground. "It wasn't your fault," the redhead muttered, getting up to a standing position. "You couldn't have known."

She walked back to the platform in search of something to tie around Ashe's thigh. She was seriously worried about the poison spreading in her bloodstream, but she didn't want to admit it for the fear of causing the Frost Archer to worry more. The shopkeeper, Thom, was applying some kind of a healing potion to Luxanna's leg, which looked far better now than a few minutes ago. The blonde looked up at her with a weird mixture of gratefulness and sorrow as she was approaching, to which she responded with the most comforting expression she could put up now. She then crouched beside the merchant.

"Do you happen to have any rope or string stacked in there?" she asked him, putting her hand up to stop Lux, who was just about to say something. The little man put his hand to his chin and closed his eyes, as if trying to recall every object at his shop. He then jumped up quickly, slapped his forehead and dissapeared behind the counter. As Lux was about to say something again, he reappeared with two rolls of bandages in his hands.

"The Summoners have no knowledge of this, but Amumu tends to fall apart sometimes," he explained. "Will this suffice, miss Leona?" he handed one roll over to her as she shook the image of unbandaged Amumu off her head and nodded quickly in agreement. Thom proceeded to wrap Lux's ankle with the other one. "Is something wrong with the Freljord Lady?"

"She'll be fine," Leona answered for the second time in the past ten minutes. She didn't want to disturb Lux, now that she's calmed down after what happened at the bottom lane. The blonde seemed almost like her usual self now, though her eyes still bore a frightened look. She smiled at Thom, who was trying to be as gentle as possible with her leg, handling it like a delicate plant that might break down if you pressed too hard on it. Leona got back to the Frost Archer, who was sitting in the very same position she left her, even with her eyes still locked in on the pavement. She handed Ashe the bandage and the Queen finally looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Tie it above the wound," Leona said in an almost casual manner, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She watched Ashe trying to wrap the band around her leg, hissing a few times as she lifted it from the ground. The wound looked worse with each passing second, the swelling spread almost halfway to her knee.

"All this from barely a scratch," the Solari thought. Teemo's poison did almost no harm in matches, especially in those games when he spent so much time dead. This was real, now. The Fields were no different than any battlefield she's ever been on, where people were dying on daily basis. She had two champions safe in her base - but who could knew what happened to the others? A part of her wanted to go with Lux and seize every person she could before they harmed or even killed each other, but she couldn't leave these two now. Ashe finally managed to tie the bandage tightly and was now sitting with her eyes closed and her head laid back. She still kept her grace, though, not complaining a single time.

Almost as if she'd heard Leona's thoughts, Katarina appeared in the middle entrance to their base, her face filled with rage.

"I can't contact my stupid Summoner," she greeted them. She looked perfectly fine, just a few hair out of place. She shot Ashe a weird look and opened her mouth to say something, but then she spotted Lux. "What the fuck is she doing here? I thought we were winning!"

She moved in the blonde's direction with blades in both hands, but Leona stood in her way. "Calm down," she said in a powerful tone. "If you kill her, she'll die."

Katarina moved her gaze to Leona, arching her eyebrows. The Solari realised what a brilliant thing she'd just said and reacted in time to catch Katarina's arm. "Don't do it," she growled at the Noxian. "Things have changed a bit. The Summoner Magic is not working anymore, that means, if you kill her, it won't be just a game. For Sun's sake, even our turrets wouldn't shoot her," she motioned to the three outer turrets, standing intact in their base's entrances. "See what I mean?"

Katarina looked at the turrets, as if trying to gather proof for Leona's words. Finally, she put the blades back in her belt, yanking her hand free from Leona's grip. The Noxian walked up to Lux, who scattered back a little on the ground, as if afraid the older girl would kick her. She didn't do it, instead she took the blonde by her arm and lifted her forcefully, before literally dragging her to the summoning platform. Leona moved to stop her, but she was too slow. Nothing happened. The laser was down too.

"What in Sun's name do you think you were doing?" she almost shouted as she approached them, using all the willpower she had not to hit Katarina. "Were you even listening to me? You could've killed her!"

"I've killed her over nine thousand times already," she spit back. "She should be used to it by now."

"Umm, I'm still standing here," Lux said in a quiet voice. They looked at her in unision and she shrank a little bit. "But I can go."

* * *

They explained the situation to Katarina in detail. The Noxian didn't want to believe in everything at first, but, given the circumstances, she gave in at last. She didn't seem as touched by the Teemo's death as they were, but still she couldn't stop the shocked expression that crossed her face for but a moment.

"We had Diana almost down along with my sister," she told them, leaning against the Nexus. "That's the last time I've seen either of them."

"We should go out and search for everyone," Leona said, looking at Katarina. She didn't have any problems walking. "They may not know about..." she hesitated. "About this. Whatever it is."

"It's dangerous," Katarina shook her head. "You have a point here. They may not know and attack us and I don't wanna be dying on some kinda rescue mission." She put a hand up to stop Leona from speaking and smirked. "But I'll still go. My sister's out there somewhere."

"The bottom lane should be empty so it's no point going there, at least not before we check the other ones," the Solari started, gathering her shield and sword. "The minions stopped spawning when the Nexus died, so my guess is somebody had to notice their absence. Take the top lane," she told her. "Is Diana still on the middle?"

"I've already told you, I have no idea." Katarina took up some shield the shopkeeper found for her. "She should be at her base. If she's still alive."

* * *

The walk down the middle lande took her longer than it used to. She looked around everywhere, searching every little bush on her way for sight of blood, footsteps, fallen teeth, anything. It was harder moving now in the water than in a usual match, she suspected even the marsh had been somehow magically altered. She could feel the absence of the Summoners everywhere.

The first shock was the discovery of Warwick's body in plain sight, a few yards away from the entrance to the blue base. He was lying in an awkward position, as if somebody tried to tear his limbs off, but got tired of it in the process and left him like a broken toy. The second shock was the sight of severe bitemarks beneath his fur, everywhere where she could see. The third, probably the most striking one, was the absence of cuts, burns or any other signs of human interference on him. The bitemarks were the sole cause of his death. She closed his eyes, the only thing she could really do in this situation. There was no chance to say goodbye.

She rushed past his body to the blue base, not even bothering to test the turrets, even though the situation could be completely different here. It wasn't, and it made her run even faster. If everything was exactly the way as it was in the purple base, and if Diana was still alive, she had to hurry. She passed the outer turret when she heard a man's voice talking quickly.

"Terrence!" she called out, still running, and the voice stopped. A man's head appeared from behind the Nexus, greeting her with a tired smile.

"Come, come," he said as she approached. She immediately saw Diana spread on the platform floor, blood gushing from a big wound on her stomach and a few smaller ones around her arms and neck. The heretic was conscious, but her eyes bore an absent look. Her right hand was still cluthing her sword tightly. "I cleansed her blood of the Serpent's venom, but her wounds are too deep for my elixirs."

"We should bandage this wound," she pointed at Diana's abdomen. The little man walked to a pile of bandages he had stacked on the floor next to the blonde's legs and took one roll, sighing.

"I tried to remove her armor, but I couldn't find any opening," he sighed again. "I could bandage over it, but I fear the wound might be contaminated."

Leona kneeled and reached behind Diana's neck. "Is it here?" she asked, to which the blonde nodded once. Leona lifted Diana's head up a little, earning a moan from the heretic. She moved her hand over Leona's to stop her, but the Solari had to ignore it. She found the clasp and undid it. It made a pneumatic, hissing sound, followed by a serie of cracks moving down Diana's spine. The armor opened almost in the same manner as Leona's own did. She removed the breast plate and the soft, lower-torso part of the Lunari armor and gasped. The wound looked far worse than she expected.

"Quickly," she almost ordered the shopkeeper, who didn't hesitate a second. She glanced in the middle lane's direction, where she knew Warwick's body lied massacred. "I have a bad feeling about this place."

* * *

Diana's body felt surprisingly light in her arms as she lifted the Lunari from the floor. Her lower torso was covered in clean, white bandages beneath the armor Leona put back on her. The Solari secured the backpack Terrence gave her and looked down at him. The old man looked tired, the front of his robe stained with Diana's blood, but he still smiled at the redhead.

"You sure that's all you need?" she asked him, rearranging Diana in her arms so that her head would be supported against Leona's shoulder. The shopkeeper nodded shortly and moved out, motioning the woman to follow him. The backpack was heavy and full of fragile bottles and vials, clanging with her every step. She moved carefully, not to break anything or disturb Diana's injuries. It was hard to keep in pace with the shopkeeper under such circumstances.

They passed the outer turret and Warwick's body and she felt her muscles getting used to the weight she was now carrying. She clutched Diana tightly, as if the blonde could stand up and run away at any moment. They got to the ruins of the first purple turret, when she heard the distant scream. She sped up, catching up to the shopkeeper and trying to get to the base as quickly as possible.

* * *

Riven and Garen were already there, looking fairly fine safe for their dirty, jagged clothes. As she entered along with the shopkeeper, all faces turned in their direction. Garen walked up to her to take Diana off her hands, but instead she gave him the backpack. He almost went down with it, surprised by the heaviness of the object and looked at the Solari suspiciously.

"What was that?" Ashe asked her, worriedly. She was sitting on the summoning platform with her whole upper thigh clad in bandages. "Was that you screaming?"

"No," she admitted. "But I heard it too. I think it came from the top lane."

"What's wrong with Diana?" Lux walked up to her, her pace visibly more confident than before. "Is she...?"

"No," she cut her off, moving past her to the summoning platform. She laid Diana carefully down on the stone floor. "She's lost her conciousness on the way here, but she's alive. She's heavily injured." Ashe put the back of her hand on Diana's forehead before turning her gaze to Leona. The archer looked worried, but she didn't say anything. Lux left them to help her brother with the backpack and talk to the shopkeepers, who looked really pleased to see each other.

"Have you seen anybody?" the Exile asked as she approached them. The Solari brushed a strand of blood-stained hair from Diana's face, wincing at the memories appearing in her head.

"I've seen Warwick's body," she said after a moment. She heard Lux gasp at the mention of "body", clearly indignating she could hear what they were talking about. Leona lowered her voice. "He looked as if something attacked him. Something with sharp teeth."

They both stared at her, thinking through what they've just heard. Slowly, Ashe nodded her head and Riven put a finger to her lips, motioning her head at Lux, who couldn't see her from behind Garen's back. They knew what was going on in Leona's mind, but they couldn't admit it out loud. The blonde came to them after a moment, a worried expression on her face as she looked at Diana's chest. The Lunari's breathing was shallow and as Leona touched her forehead again, she could feel her fever rising.

"Weren't the monsters in the jungle bound in place by Summoner Magic?" Lux asked finally, crouching and putting a damp cloth she got from Thom to Diana's forehead. They looked at the Lady of Luminosity in bewilderment.

"Why are we even trying?" Riven muttered, running her hand through her hair. Lux ignored the statement and was about to say something, when she was interrupted, again this evening.

"You son of a bitch!" they heard Katarina before they could even see her as she jumped at Garen, who instinctively blocked her daggers with his heavy sword. Leona and Riven got to them in a matter of second, the Exile taking Katarina off him and pulling her arms behind her back, while Leona helped him up. The Sinister Blade let out an enraged growl. She struggled hard against Riven's arms, her blades colliding loudly with the Exile's breastplate. "Let me fucking go!"

"Calm. Down." Riven uttered through gritted teeth, as Katarina stomped hard on her foot. The redhead stopped trying to move forward, almost causing Riven to fall backwards with her. "What's wrong with you?"

Katarina motioned at Garen with her chin. "He killed my sister," she growled again. Riven loosened her grip a bit, looking at the Demacian man with hard eyes. "He cut her fucking head off!"

"Did you?" Leona asked him. He put his sword down and looked straight at Katarina, who was still shooting daggers with her eyes.

"I didn't know what was going on yet," he said finally after a long break. Katarina let out a snarl, but he ignored her. "You wouldn't hesitate killing my sister if you thought she would be coming back!"

"Fortunately, she's still _alive_," she spat at him, rage dripping from every word. "And we can still test it."

She used her Shunpo to get out of Riven's embrace, leaving the three of them dumbfounded for a moment. Almost on instinct, Leona turned her head back to where Lux stood a second ago. She was still there, but she had an enraged Katarina behind her back and a blade at her throat. They all froze, not even one of them daring to move. Katarina took on a wicked expression, sliding her blade a little across the blonde's skin. A few droplets of blood appeared on her dagger's surface. Leona stopped Garen from jumping at her, which would be possibly the worst idea, given the circumstances. She would thank him for hitting her jaw with his shoulder later. She saw Ashe draw her bow in the corner of her eye.

"So, Lux," Katarina asked, almost casually. "_Will_ you be coming back?"

A loud, low thud drowned out Lux's response, shaking the earth underneath their feet.

"Oh," Lux gasped when the sound was over, gaining everyone's attention. "Sounds like Baron Nashor is trying to get out."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you again for reading the second chapter! Stay tuned for the next one and remember that I FEED ON REVIEWS!


	3. Chapter 3: Wilderness

Hello again! Thank you for reading and reviewing the past two chapters. I hope you'll enjoy this one.

**Note:** All characters are dressed in their usual clothes, except for Garen and Riven, who are dressed as pictured in Desert Trooper Garen and Redeemed Riven. I just like them better that way. Things written in italic are emphasises, unless in quotes, which are Leona's thoughts.  
**Disclaimer:** All characters and places mentioned belong to Riot. Except for Thom and Terrence, whose names belong to my imagination.

* * *

**Stray Dogs**

Chapter 3: Wilderness

Another thud shook the earth beneath them, this time followed by an aggravated roar. They froze in their places, listening to the sound and looking around for what seemed like forever, before the Rift went silent again. They all set their eyes on Lux again, whose hands were supporting her own weight hanging on Katarina's arm. The Demacian looked as if she was about to faint in a moment.

"What do you mean?" it was Katarina who broke the silence, shaking Lux by her shoulder, trying to get the younger girl out of the trance she'd fallen into. The Noxian seemed to have calmed down enough to be aware of the situation around her. She lowered the blade she had been holding to the blonde's throat and Lux let out a breath she was holding. Katarina instantly pushed her away from herself and Lux, caught off guard again, stumbled awkwardly, her hands almost reluctantly letting go of Katarina's arm. Garen moved past Leona, pushing her shoulder hard with his own and caught his sister. He instantly stepped in front of her, trying to shield her from the Noxian. Katarina slipped the blade in its sheath indifferently and spoke again, looking threatheningly in the Demacian siblings direction. "What did she mean?"

"I think," Lux squeaked from behind Garen's back in response, stopping her brother from saying whatever he was about to say, before she cleared her throat and continued in her normal, if a little bit shaky voice. "It sounded as if Baron Nashor was trying to get out, you know, with the magic gone and all..."

She trailed off, gulping audibly. Leona noticed Ashe still had her aim on Katarina's head and motioned for her to put the weapon down. The Freljord Queen only shook her head and tried keeping her bow steady, even though her right arm was shaking from drawing the bowstring this whole time. The Solari sighed and rubbed her aching shoulder, shooting a look at Garen, who couldn't see it with his eyes fixed on Katarina's face. Riven was edging close to the Sinister Blade from behind her back.

"Trying to get out of _where_ exactly?" Katarina asked Lux after another awkwardly silent moment, though her head spun around to look at the Exile, who was just about to disarm her again. The redhead growled dangerously and her hand went for her belt again, but stopped before cathing any of her knives. She was trying to contain her anger, Leona thought, at least until she got an explanation to this situation. Riven just stood there, her stance firm and determined. The Sinister Blade gritted her teeth before turning once again in Garen's direction. "_Lux_!"

The blonde whimpered and began to move backwards, only to collide with Leona a few steps behind. She looked at her in terror, as if the Solari was another Katarina who just cloned herself behind her back, but Leona smiled reasurringly. This whole situation was getting more complicated with each passing second, and Leona wanted to hear the answer as well. If their theory about magic binding the creeps in place had been correct, Baron Nashor would indeed be affected by it too. And if this was true - well, they had to hurry up. She didn't want to face the monster without magical support. Lux cleared her throat again, summoning all her inner strenght to look Katarina in the eye. The Noxian was enraged, but she waited somewhat patiently for her response, mostly due to Garen between her and Lux. Ashe finally put her weapon down, gasping from the pain in her strained muscle.

"I had this talk with Lulu once," Lux started shakingly. Katarina was about to say something, her anger going up from the delay, but Riven cut her off by simply putting a hand to her mouth. For a brief moment Leona thought the Noxian was going to bite her fingers off. Lux continued, relaxing with each spoken word. "She's really concerned about animal welfare. She told me how sad it makes her, that Baron is kept in such bad conditions. It must be really hard to move there, she said."

"_WHERE_!?" Katarina shouted along with Ashe, who's had enough of the delays, too. The archer looked fairly normal, if not for the angry sparks in her eyes.

"That's exactly what I asked her!" Lux retorted almost excitedly, but then she frowned for a moment upon noticing everyone's stares. Katarina moved her hands rapidly again, setting both Riven and Garen on alarm, but she didn't try anything funny. The Light Mage cracked her knucles nervously, but when she spoke again, her voice was steady. "Anyways, she told me they kept him locked underground. His whole body, I mean, safe for from his neck up."

Hearing the last few words, Leona felt the blood in her veins freeze. She never thought much of Baron Nashor and took the fact he was where he was - and what he was - for granted. Of course, she was aware that a head could not go by supported only by a neck, but she discarded the thoughts anytime she ran away from the monster unchased. It was hard facing him - but never hard fleeing him. Katarina's expression went from angry, through shocked to almost terrified, before she regained her composture. The rest of the group hid their emotions well.

"How long will it take him to escape?" It was Garen's turn now to break the silence. He eyed his sister suspiciously, obviously surprised with the information she possesed. Looking around at the others, Leona noticed they bore similar expressions.

Riven set off for the summoning platform, where both the shop keepers were already busy packing their backpacks with various items, most of them bottles and small vials with liquids unknown to the Solari. The Exile turned for a moment and motioned Leona to follow her, to which she obeyed instantly. If Katarina tried anything again, Garen and Ashe would surely manage without her help. The Noxian didn't look like trying anymore, though.  
Another thud echoed across the Summoner's Rift.

"I can only imagine," she overheard Lux's quiet response.

* * *

They decided to set off as quickly as possible. From what they've squeezed out of Lux, they had an almost clear image of Baron's situation right now. Being kept in a relatively small room underwater with no space to move around for such a long time, he was probably furious beyond their imagination. The monster was no normal animal - he gained his noble title long time ago, even before the Rune Wars. Once a mighty dragon - though he was spitting acid instead of breathing fire, he was still considered a dragon no worse than any else - he was captured by Demacian Dragon Slayers many years ago in woods surrounding the area now called the Summoner's Rift and was donated as a toy upon its construction. A story about a giant _worm_ living in the Serpentine River had been made up to prevent panic amongst the champions entering the Fields. The lie had a weak point, though - the Serpentine River was a shallow marsh, certainly not deep enough to containt such a big _worm_.  
He was no worm, and no facsimile crafted by the Senior Arcane Architect. The only thing crafted was the room underneath the Serpentine River, in which his whole body, complete with four, maybe six - Lux couldn't remember - legs, massive, spiky tail and a pair of wings was kept. With the magical boundaries gone, his mind was set free - and he proceeded to free his body. Over and over, the earth was shaking on Summoner's Rift from his attempts at destroying the underground prison.

"What was that all about?" Riven asked Katarina after a particulalry strong quake ended. They were beginning to get used to it and didn't let themselves be caught off guard, but it still frightened them to hear the beast's occasional roar. That wasn't what the Exile was talking about, though. "The thing with Lux."

"I got angry," Katarina answered in a cold voice, ending the conversation at this point. She couldn't sort the past hours in her mind. Images flashed wildly through her memory, some of them illogical. Cassiopeia's cold body lying still on the ground, a trail of blood leading to where her head had fallen, her jade eyes still opened in pure shock. The Serpent had obviously been caught by surprise, probably attacked from a nearby bush. Katarina had instantly known the murderer of her sister and without second thought set off in his direction, screaming ferociously in spite of herself. She ran through the Fields instinctively, rage pushing her to the limits of her physical abilities. She killed a stray wolf in the process, but she barely even noticed it.

"I'm really sorry for your loss," the Exile's words snapped her out of her thoughts and she just shrugged her shoulders. She didn't need anyone's pity. Neither did Cass.

Riven didn't try to push her any further. She didn't like talking too much herself and she could sympathize with the younger girl. She decided to leave her, seeing as they were done with collecting things from the shop. The Exile walked up to Ashe, who was sitting beside a fully-packed backpack. She seemed lost in thought, a sight which Riven was beginning to get sick of. Right now, they had to get a hold of themselves, and she felt as she was the only one being rational. She lifted the backpack by one of its many handles and was surprised by its weight. It felt as if they fitted solid rocks in there.

"Whew, that's _heavy_," she said in no particular direction, getting Ashe's attention anyway. The Queen eyed the backpack as if she'd only just noticed it and stood up, wincing from the pain shooting through her wounded leg, gripping the other handle. As Riven let go of the one she had been holding, Ashe's left arm was brought to the ground with the heavy bag. The Exile kicked it with her heavy boot, but the backpack didn't move. "Who's going to carry this?"

The Queen only rubbed her arms, cursing silently at the already forming muscle sores.

* * *

Garen didn't find the backpack to be as heavy as Ashe and Riven did. Actually, he barely felt it on his shoulders. He didn't question the shop keepers when they packed it with various books, knowing how important they may be to them and how important it may be to deliver them to a safer place. He just wanted to get off the Rift as soon as possible. He walked up to Leona, who was crouching beside the still unconscious Diana and tapped her lightly on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for hitting you before," he said mildly, though his pride has suffered for what he did earlier. He never intended to hit the Solari, but he hadn't been thinking clearly when Katarina caught Lux. Leona's brows shot up in surprise for a second before she smiled at him, weariness visible in her eyes. She has just finished checking up on everybody to be sure they were able to go. They decided to cross the treeline at the beginning of the bottom lane and set on the direction later. From the information they all had, they knew they were somewhere in Freljord - the wisest thing was to let Ashe lead, whatever awaited them outside the Fields. Everything seemed more appealing than the monster still beating his way free in the middle of Summoner's Rift. Garen cleared his throat. "It was a stupid accident."

"It was nothing," she replied, though she knew she already had a bruise forming on her jaw. Her shoulder didn't suffer as much. Leona was getting more worried with each passing second of Diana's blackout and she wanted to get everyone out of the danger zone before it was too late. She stood up and stopped Garen, who was reaching down for the moon worshipper. "No, don't," she said quickly. "I'll take her. You already have a heavy bag."

"It's not that heavy," he opposed, but Leona cut him off with her hand. The man might have said what he did was an accident, but his feelings were written all over his face. He felt guilty, and Leona didn't want to take an advantage of him for that. The Solari placed her shield securely on her back and quickly lifted Diana, effortlessly, then frowned at the two swords at her feet. She sighed.

"I may need help with those."

* * *

It was the middle of the day when they left the arena, but the pine forest was too thick to let enough light in. Ashe walked at the front of their column with Lux by her side, the Light Mage holding her staff to illuminate the darkness in front of them. Their pace was slow - much too slow for Leona's liking - but the forest floor was set with twisted roots of the trees and thick bushes surrounding them. To top that, their "leaders" were still slightly limping. Lux had kindly rejected Garen's help, which basically meant carrying her, and Ashe just glared at him upon his offer. They walked in complete silence since leaving the Fields, some of them tired, some terrified, some just refusing to talk to anybody. The archer searched their area carefully for any signs of wild animals or other possibly dangerous things, but so far they made no stop in their journey. Looking back, Leona couldn't see the Rift anymore, but she knew they were still close enough for Baron to catch up with them the moment he freed himself. She hated to think about it, but the beast may have had some memories of their faces beating him times and times again. Diana was _still_ unconscious and the Solari was getting _more_ worried about her, but she dared not ask for a stop. If she wanted _everyone_ to be safe, they had to move away.

She had ended up asking Katarina to carry their weapons, and the Noxian surprised her by handling them with extreme caution. The girl possesed some deep respect for blades, Leona realised, and scolded herself for not thinking about it before. Riven had taken care of the second backpack, though the shopkeeper had insisted on carrying it himself instead of letting a lady do it. Riven had let out a weird laugh at the mention of _lady_ and assured him she would be fine with it. Leona could only guess how much she regretted it now, as she had to watch her every step for the fear of breaking some of the vials inside. Riven kept her face straight and didn't make a comment, though. Nobody did.

After another forty minutes they got to a shallow gorge free of trees and with fewer bushes sprouting from its bottom. It was easier to walk in it, not having to slalom through the plants and soon their pace sped up. The walls of the gorge reached no taller than Ashe's waist, so she still could observe the area, but the lack of trees over their heads made their path lighter than the surrounding woods. It took the archer some time to adjust her eyes to the darkness outside the gorge. They could hear various animals running away from their path, most - if not all of them - seeing human beings for the first time in their lives. Looking down at the ground Leona noticed that they were in fact following a path, but not a man-made one. Tracks of different sizes and shapes formed trails beneath their feet.

* * *

The Sun was beginning to set over their heads now and the cold wind gusting through the gorge sent chills down every inch of Leona's tired body. They were in Freljord, after all. Somewhere deep within her she was surprised they haven't encountered a blizzard yet. Diana's unconscious weight was beginning to wear the Solari off and she had to force herself to take every new step. The whole collumn slowed down now, as the wind grew in strength, almost sending Lux and Ashe flying backwards once. From the distance Leona could see they were nearing a wider clearing, probable source of the massive gusts of wind.

"Stop!" Lux shouted, marking the first word uttered since leaving the fields. Everybody took on defending positions, expecting a blow to come from any direction. Luxanna turned around and, seeing the scene, stared at them in astonishment. She furrowed her brows. "What are you doing?"

"Why were you screaming?" it was Riven who asked her, but they all relaxed, seeing it was only one of those Lux moments. They stood before a turn in their path, covered now from the wind by a patch of pines and shrubs.

"I needed a stop," Lux answered matter-of-factly, and though Leona couldn't see Katarina, she heard the Noxian's palm slapping her own forehead. The Solari herself felt anger growing in her guts at the sudden stop, but Lux continued before anyone could say anything. "I saw these bushes and, so, you know... uh..."

She traced off, looking at her feet in embarrasement. For a moment Leona still wanted to hurt the girl for slowing the escape down. She had to get the champions as far from danger as she could, she had been repeating over and over in her head for the past... minutes? Hours? The Solari didn't even know where they were anymore. She was keeping her mind on getting away, that's all there was. Leona looked at the champions around her. Every face looked exhausted as she'd never seen them, and each of them angry with a girl simply asking for a stop. A girl whose face was no less exhausted than the others and certainly not with a playful expression. A girl who was ashamed to ask a favor from champions she'd asked for help numerous times before. The people now couldn't grant it.

"Actually, she's got a good point there," Katarina said in a hoarse voice, and as Leona set her eyes at the Noxian, she could see the same realisation that has come to her just seconds ago. They knew themselves perfectly well as champions, knew others' strenghts and weaknesses on the battlefield. They could cooperate well in process of killing another one, only to be paired with the victim in the next battle. But they never got to knowing the others as people they really were. Normal people who needed to eat, sleep and function as every other. Once again Leona bitterly admitted to herself how devoid of compassion the Fields have made her.

"Yeah, we've been walking for hours," Riven admitted as she set the backpack carefully down. She bore an awkward expression Leona was sure was visible on her own face. "It won't hurt to stop now."

"It's not like we have anywhere important to get to, huh?" Katarina tried to joke, but it came out sounding more hopeless than she hoped for. It still worked for Lux, who visibly relaxed and actually smiled at Katarina, almost as if she had forgotten what happened only hours ago on the Rift. Katarina frowned and turned her face in other direction, meeting Leona's stare. Lux made her slow, limping way to the bushes. Only now did they notice both Lux and Ashe were in worse conditions than before.

"Wait, Lux," Garen caught up with her, his backpack still securely on his back. He offered her his arm, a stern look on his face. "You shouldn't go alone. It may be dangerous in there."

"That's, uh... Garen... I..." Lux stuttered, her face going bright red in a matter of seconds. Garen's face kept an oblivious expression and Leona could hear Riven's muffled laughter from where she was sitting on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye Lux noticed Katarina going in the same direction she was planning to before and quickly - as quick as possible with a limping leg - made her way over to the woman who had tried to kill her.

* * *

Leona laid Diana carefully on a soft, dry patch of ground and fallen leaves. The blonde's breathing was shallow and uneven. She was hot, her entire body burning with fever Leona only noticed after she's let go off her. Thom and Terrence were running through the medical supplies they have taken, and the Solari could feel the dryness in her own throat. Sitting down besides the Lunari the full weight of her exhaustion washed over Leona. She could feel every muscle in her body screaming - especially in her arms, strained from carrying the girl for so long.

"We should drink something," she said to Riven, who was sitting nearby, supported against a dead tree trunk. The redhead motioned her head towards the rest of the group preparing to set a fire for the night. "How long do you think before dehydration hits them?"

"Few hours, maybe less," the Exile admitted after a few moments of thoughtful silence. In her days in exile, Riven has spent many nights in the woods, more often than not without any source of drinking water available. She remembered how terryfying it was, the feeling of her body drained of all vital power, the hallucinations, the overwhelming pain in her guts. She didn't want to face it again. "I haven't seen any water on the way."

"I haven't been _looking_ for it," Leona admitted with shame. The first thing that should concern her came to her mind way too late. Before she could stand up and run in search for a water source at this very moment, Thom came up to her with a small vial.

"Apply a few drops on the wound," he said, his voice soft but firm. He handed her another, this time bigger vial. "Then, when she wakes up, make her drink it. She will not want to swallow, but she will need it. Tell her it will make the pain go away."

Leona nodded her head in agreement and kneeled down beside Diana once more, reaching for the clasp behind her neck. The hissing sound was a bit off this time, but she paid no mind to it. Riven got closer to her and lifted Diana's torso a bit to help Leona remove the breastplate. They gasped in shock at the sight before them.

"You should close the wound," Riven said finally, after the initial shock was gone. Leona only looked in terror at the red cloth that has once been clean-white. The bandages have soaked up completely. The Lunari armor applied enough pressure to prevent exscessive blood loss but now, with the pressure gone, the wound started to bleed again.

"There wasn't enough time to even think about it, back there," she admitted grimly, and she began unwrapping the bandages. The wound looked even worse than Leona remembered, and Riven had to hold her hand to her mouth. Leona only took the vial with shaking hands and applied far more than a few drops into the gaping hole on Diana's stomach. She pondered checking the girl's other wounds, but they seemed more like minor scratches compared with the one in her abdomen. The wound was deep, Leona couldn't tell just how deep exactly. She hoped it didn't reach any vital organ.

"I'll tell them to hurry up with that fire, maybe we could cauterize the wound," the Exile said standing up, and Leona nodded in gratitude. She took a roll of bandages from the pocket of the medical backpack and wrapped it tightly around Diana's waist again, careful not to touch the wound with her hands. She didn't want to cause any more contamination.

Diana's fever rose even higher.

* * *

**A/N**: Thank you again for reading the third chapter. If you enjoyed (or not) - leave a review!


	4. Chapter 4: A New Flame

Welcome back! Thank you very much for all your kind reviews. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

**Warning:** Katarina's language tends to be foul sometimes.

**Note:** All characters are dressed in their usual clothes, except for Garen and Riven, who are dressed as pictured in Desert Trooper Garen and Redeemed Riven. I just like them better that way. Things written in _italic_ are emphasises, unless in quotes, which are Leona's thoughts.  
**Disclaimer:** All characters and places mentioned belong to Riot. Except for Thom and Terrence, whose names belong to my imagination.

* * *

**Stray Dogs**

Chapter 4: A New Flame

By nightfall, they managed to gather enough dry wood to set a sufficient fire. With the last ray of Sun gone, the weather decided to change from mildly cold to freezing. It even started to snow, though only for a few dreadful minutes. Freljord's climate could be really unsettling.

The fire was providing enough warmth to sit comfortably around, but anytime someone tried to leave the circle for as much as a moment they had to cross an almost visible barrier of cold, damp air. Mostly they just sat still, wrapped in various capes and cloaks they thankfully thought to take along from the Summoner's Rift. Garen and Lux talked quietly about something sitting almost disturbingly close to each other, their faces bearing dark, tired expressions, worn out from the long journey. The younger Demacian often gazed across the fire to exchange a worried look with Leona. The Solari could only shake her head in response. She was anxious as well. Riven and Ashe had gone out in search of a water source and possibly something to eat, but that was almost an hour ago. The rest of the group had no word from them nor sight of them since. Leona just hoped they hadn't frozen to death somewhere in the woods.

Katarina sat as far from the fire as she could without getting too cold in her skin-bearing suit, avoiding every possible human contact. She was a Noxian, after all, and sitting there happily with the Demacian siblings was just not on her to-do list. When Thom walked up to her to check if she was alright, she only grunted in response and turned her face to the woods. Whenever she would break and cast a look at the fire, her brows were furrowed in deep thought. The events of the day kept repeating in her mind, however hard she tried to shut it down.

Leona made sure to check on Diana every few minutes or so. The blonde was burning with fever, but at least her bleeding slowed down enough to give her any chances of surviving the night. After further consideration and consulting with the rest of the group they have decided not to cauterize or otherwise physically interfere with the wound. They couldn't possibly know the structure of Diana's internal injuries. Relying on potions was something Leona's Rakkoran upbringing couldn't fully agree to, even after all the time she had spent on the Fields of Justice, but right now they didn't have much choice. The Institute's Medical Wing was unreachable for them as of this day's afternoon, and the only people with as much as first aid knowledge on their temporary team were the shopkeepers, who were englufed in a lively discussion on the blonde's health now. The Solari adjusted the purple cloak covering Diana, bringing it up to the Lunari's chin. She felt like the air around them was getting colder with each passing second.

Garen shot cautious glances at Katarina's back every now and then. He struggled with an internal conflict concerning the girl, and her behaviour wasn't helping the Might of Demacia to settle his thoughts. He was sorry for her loss - actually, he felt horridly guilty of it - but at the same time, somewhere in the back of his mind he wished she had stayed on the Fields of Justice. He looked over at his sister again, imagining how he himself would feel if Katarina's dagger dug a bit deeper then. Lux was in the middle of a sentence when he caught her small hand in his bigger one. She shut her mouth and looked at her brother with wide, surprised eyes.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the woods behind Katarina, setting them all on alert. The Noxian jumped into a fighting position in a matter of seconds, readying her blades to throw them at the supposed opponent. Garen moved quickly beside her, his sword shining dimly in the fire's light. The noise was getting closer, and after a moment they were sure it had to be footsteps.

"Easy there!" they all heard Riven's voice as both her and Ashe emerged from the nearest patch of bushes. Garen and Katarina easied their stances, the girl immediately moving away from him. He looked at her for a second, sighing and shaking his head before his gaze ventured back to Riven. She was carrying something and from the looks of it, the burden was pretty heavy. Garen rushed over to her, but she refused any help. When the trio came into the ring of light, the Exile let the object fall to the ground. It turned out to be a young wild boar, about 80 pounds in weight. The fur on its neck was glistening with blood and little crystals of ice.

"The Queen here shot it in the woods," Riven announced in a hoarse, tired voice, motioning at Ashe who smiled timidly, sitting herself on a log Garen and Leona had moved closer to the fire before. The Archer was still slightly limping, but wasn't bothered by her leg as much as a few hours ago. She rubbed her bare arms and gratefully accepted the cloak Lux insantly brought to her. Riven coughed a few times as she watched Garen inspect the boar before continuing. "We haven't found any water, but at least that's something to eat. We only have to put up a spit and skin the pig."

"We need a knife for it, our swords won't do," Garen commented, moving his hand through the animal's fur. Its skin was thick, and trying to operate with blades as big as theirs would only damage the meat unnecessarily. Almost everyone's heads - safe for Diana and Lux, the first being unconscious, the second oblivious - turned at Katarina at the Demacian's statement. For a moment her expression was blank, but soon realisation visibly crept over her and she moved her hands to cover the daggers hanging at her hips.

"No," she protested in a firm, cold tone. Riven was already circling behind her and Garen was closing the distance between him and the redhead as well. She unsheathed one of the blades and held it up, pointing square at his chest threateningly. "No way. Don't even think about it!"

* * *

The temperature fell even lower and frost covered the trees in the woods surrounding them.

The meat was dry and tasteless, but Leona had been too hungry to complain. She glanced over at Diana lying still beside her, with her chest slowly rising only to fall rapidly in a rushed exhale. The Solari couldn't bring herself to blame Katarina for it, even though it had been her dagger that wounded the blonde's abdomen. She switched her attention to Lux, whose ankle has been twisted by the Radiant Dawn herself. The Demacian girl sat snuggled close with her brother, eating the game in small, graceful bites. Unlike her, Garen has practically _devoured_ almost one-third of the boar by himself, but it was still enough to serve them all. Across the fire from Leona, Ashe and Riven talked quietly about something, both of them bearing faint smiles on their faces. They seemed to have grown fond of each other over the course of the past few hours. The glow of the fire reflected dimly in the white hair sticking from underneath their hoods and Leona could swear they were getting closer to each other every time she cast a look at them. Thom and Terrence ate in silence, both seemingly occupied with their own thoughts. Leona straightened herself and adjusted the cloak on her shoulders before reaching for another piece of meat, smiling thankfully at the Frost Archer. Last time the Solari had a proper meal was this day's morning, if you consider a slice of bread and a tomato eaten hurriedly just before summoning to the Fields proper. The atmosphere around them got cosier with each bite of the boar meat, and the overall silence they shared wasn't that awkward. At least for most of them.

"Katarina," Ashe finally spoke louder from her place on the log, putting a rib bone down beside her feet. She stared sternly at the Noxian's back, but the redhead didn't bother to turn around to look at her. She had been sitting a little further from the fire clad tightly in one of the cloaks, facing the woods ever since they gave her the knife back. She didn't even accept the meat they offered.

"Fuck you," she answered harshly, putting a frown on the Queen's face. It disapeared as soon as Ashe noticed six sets of eyes looking at her in anticipation. She cleared her throat.

"While I am _flattered_ with your offer," she started, putting a smirk on Riven's face and a blush on Lux's, "I still think it would be far better for you to get closer here and eat something."

Instatly, Katarina dropped the cloak from her shoulders and stood up, getting over quickly to Ashe's side. She towered above the Freljord Queen with a daring expression on, one hand dangerously close to the dagger on her hip. The Frost Archer just stared back up at her, her eyes determined. Sensing _another_ fight coming, Riven reached for her broken sword, but Katarina didn't pay attention to her.

"You know what I think would be _far_ better?" she asked in a sinister tone, looking straight into Ashe's eyes. When the Queen didn't speak, she continued. "Getting somewhere. We're sitting here, having a nice little picnic and freezing our asses off, while something got seriously fucked up at the Institute. You were supposed to lead, Frost Archer," she said through clenched teeth. "And where are we now?"

A shadow from her hood played on Ashe's face, her eyes changing the light of the fire into a cold, icy glimmer. Her lips were sealed together tigthly, but she remained still, her gaze locked on Katarina. The only giveaway of her nervousness were the whitening knuckles of her clenched fists. Upon her silence, Riven stood up with her blade in one hand, placing the other on Katarina's shoulder to put her in place. The Noxian only swept it away and moved out of Riven's reach with amazing swiftness.

"Where are we?" she asked Ashe again when Riven decided to leave her alone. Out of the corner of her eye Katarina could see Garen and Leona standing up as well and an amused thought twisted her lips for a moment. They really considered her a threat, she realised, ever since that moment she jumped on the Crownguard girl. They would cast suspicious looks at her every now and then, thinking she hadn't noticed. She tested them by putting her hands on the hilts of her daggers again, and she had to stifle a laugh when they all crouched a bit into fighting positions. She let go of the blades and turned to the Queen again, whose eyes were locked on something beyond Katarina's shoulder.

"Ashe!"

"I don't know!" Ashe shouted back, her voice almost shrieking as she stood up. Her breathing got heavier than before, and she was visibly nervous now. Behind Katarina's back, Garen thrust the sword he was holding into ground before turning around to sit with Lux again. He wasn't used to this. He was used to being the one in charge, and he should have taken the command this time as well. He had a bad feeling about this whole situation, but they all let Ashe lead the way. She hadn't refused, but now when he thought about it, she hadn't said anything at all.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Katarina asked, getting closer to Ashe. "We're in fucking _Freljord_!"

"A part of Freljord I have never _been_ to," Ashe admitted calmly, though her expression was stern. Before Katarina could jump at her and strangle the Archer, Riven moved in between them again.

"Give her a break," she said, though her voice bore a certain sense of aggravation. "It's not like she has the Freljord map engraved in her mind. You wouldn't know the exact place you're in if you appeared in the middle of nowhere in Noxus, too."

"I would," she spat back, not even looking at Riven. Her eyes were still trying to shoot daggers at Ashe, and when she spoke again, she spoke to the Archer. "Do something. Summon that ghostly bird or whatever. Climb a fucking _tree_ and take a good look, for all I care. This is your land."

Katarina turned around and got out of the circle of light hurriedly, before her anger got the better of her and she actually attacked the Frost Archer. Nobody tried to stop her or follow her wherever she was going. Nobody spoke at all when she stopped, hidden in the shadow of a big tree to get her breath steady and listened to the group of people behind her. Not a single sound. Even the fire stopped cracking.

* * *

Wandering aimlessly, Katarina rubbed her shoulders as she watched her breath turn into a pale mist in the cold air. She hated Freljord, and she hated it fiercely. Ever since the Noxian barbarian pacification campaign, she swore never to return here again. The weather in Noxus was mild, and it rarely snowed even during the harshest winters. She looked down at the exposed skin of her abdomen and felt a shiver run down her spine. She was just not _dressed_ properly for this kind of a journey.

A rustle woke her up from her reverie again this evening and she turned around quickly with her blades ready to strike. The tip of her right-hand dagger missed Lux's face just by an inch, but the blonde barely even whimpered. Katarina had to fight back the urge to pin her up against a tree and slice the Demacian open. Instead, she let her hands fall limply to her sides.

"What the hell are you doing?" she whispered in an irritated voice. The woods around them have probably never seen a human being and she couldn't even image the immensity of various species hidden in the bushes and in the crowns of the nearest trees. She didn't want to attract any of them right now.

"Here," the Demacian whispered as well, handing over the cloak Katarina discarded near the fire. She accepted it, but she didn't express any gratitude towards the Crownguard. Even if her frozen limbs felt some.

"They _let_ you go after me?" she teased her. "All by yourself?"

"No," Lux shook her head in a childish way, and Katarina rolled her eyes. Teenagers. Demacian teenagers. A scowl entered her face, but Lux didn't seem to notice it in the dark. "They're talking things over. Didn't even notice when I slipped out."

"Brave girl," Katarina muttered, wrapping herself in the cloak. She felt warmer immediately. Lux neatened her own cape, letting her blonde hair fall into her face. They stood like this for a moment, Lux looking at the ground and Katarina looking at Lux, both of them silent. After a while the Noxian turned around and started to slowly walk away.

"Do you really think something bad happened at the Institute?" she heard Lux say, though she wasn't sure she was supposed to hear it. The girl spoke in a whisper so quiet her words almost died out in the wind. But Katarina stopped, and then she was beside Lux again. The Demacian's eyes were glistening, but she wasn't crying like Katarina thought she would.

"What else do you think?" she questioned her back in a mutter just above a whisper, burying her face in the cloak's collar. "Things like this never happened before. They had it well secured with various spells I don't even know. The Summoners couldn't allow any of us to die for real, certainly not out in the Fields. There's had to be something wrong."

Katarina wasn't looking at Lux, but she knew the girl was studying her face, looking for any signs of uncertainty. The Noxian didn't know what exactly might have happened, but she knew that it was more than just possible that something had indeed gone wrong. Three casualties cannot be considered an _occupational risk_, not when powerful life-supporting magic is involved. She motioned Luxanna to follow her and the Demacian did so, asking no questions. They were both aware of the dangers lurking in the shadows in the woods and the anger that would arise inside the Might of Demacia had he noticed his sister was gone.

A bitter thought of Cassiopeia entered Katarina's mind again.

* * *

Riven was tired as hell, even if she didn't want to admit it. She saw no purpose in talking about their situation, it was rather clear to her - they were lost and didn't know where to go. She had faced it before. Not a single day of her exile involved having an actual plan or an idea of where to go. She learned to move along with the world and to accept the fate ahead. Looking at the people seated around the fire, she could see how different they were from her. Garen and Leona, despite all the glory they had on the Fields of Justice were raised as simple foot soldiers. Even if they had achieved far more than that, they were still used to recieving and fulfilling orders, just as Riven herself was back when she could still call herself a Noxian. They wanted to do something. They talked about strategy, yet they didn't know their exact location.

"We can't be sure what happened at the Intitute," she heard the Solari's voice. "It's all just assumptions. Let's not jump into conclusions, and certainly not the worst ones."

"If we could just pacify her somehow..." Ashe's voice trailed off. "She might not come back."

"_Noxians_," Leona sighed and Riven smiled despite herself. She wondered briefly if she should feel offended or not, but the Solari continued, interfering her thoughts. "She will come back. She's reckless, but she never proved to be _stupid_. She knows she wouldn't make it on her own."

"We don't need her here."

"We don't need another dead body in the woods."

"Hey, Crownguard," the Exile started and he looked up at her from the provisoric Freljord map Ashe has drawn on the ground with a stick. "Just how long do you think your sister's gone?"

He shot up immediately and looked around, as if expecting Luxanna to hide behind the logs. Ashe and Leona didn't pay much attention to him, but still they left the map drawing alone, looking questioningly at Riven. Thom and Terrence were napping, seated against a tree trunk and Diana was still lying there looking positively dead, safe for her shallow breathing. It seemed the Exile was really the only one to notice the Lady of Luminosity sneaking out of their camp.

"Where is she?" Garen asked so quickly they had to guess the meaning of his words. Riven pointed at the woods behind him, where she had seen the girl disappearing before. He took off immediately in a quick jog and soon they lost sight of him between the trees.

Before any of the women still left at the fire could comment on his behaviour, two figures emerged from the bushes on the opposite site of the camp. They stared at each other for a second - Ashe, Leona and Riven dumbfounded, Katarina and Lux puzzled - before the redhead Noxian shrugged her shoulders and walked up to the remains of the roasted boar, taking a piece to eat. The rest of them felt as if she just broke the spell bounding them in place. Lux took a quick mental picture of the camp. One thing was off.

"Where is my brother?"

* * *

The fire was almost dying out, but Leona threw in another pair of dry sticks. It cracked for a moment, and then a new flame flickered from the ashes, lightening the campsite and the group. The Solari's eyelids felt heavy, but she didn't want to wake Katarina up yet. She didn't know how much time had passed on her watch. She could never tell by the Moon.

After Garen came back and _yet another_ fight was prevented, they decided it was time to call it a day and rest. Everyone agreed it was the best idea to keep guard in turns with Lux, Terrence, Thom and, obviously, Diana excused from the duty. Leona offered to take the first watch. She wanted to be useful somehow, and that was the least she could do. The rest of them settled on pulling straws. Katarina was next in line, then Garen, Riven and finally Ashe. Right now they were all resting beneath their cloaks and capes, most lying on the ground by the fire. Riven slept supported against a tree and it looked like she could wake up at any moment. Leona took great care not to make too much noise.

The Solari sat back against her own tree and tried slapping her face a few times. She was exhausted, but she couldn't let herself drift off. Diana was lying beside her with the Sunfire Cape up to her chin. Leona had to occupy herself somehow or else the cracking of the fire would put her to sleep. She gently pulled at the rim of the cape and moved it away to take a cautious look at the blonde's body. After changing her bandages, she left her abdomen exposed for easier access, using the lower part of her breatplate as a support for Diana's head. The Solari felt something nagging in the back of her conscience, looking at her like this. When she touched Diana's cheek, it was hot as melting iron. She pulled the cape further down, exposing the blonde's body to the cold air. In the flickering light of the fire, the Radiant Dawn studied the cloth bandages tied around the woman's stomach. There was no red tint to them.

Leona didn't hear the Lunari's quiet moan, nor did she see Diana's hand twitch by her side. She did, though, notice her breath becoming rigid and even shallower than seconds ago. Before long, Diana was gasping for air, her chest rising and falling frantically. When Leona looked up from her midsection, Diana's eyes were open. They didn't bear a conscious look yet - more of a dazed, scared one. The Solari instantly grabbed her shoulders, the purely Rakkoran part of her mind considering shaking them for a moment.

"Can you hear me?" she asked after a second of hesitation. She didn't know what to do now. Carrying Diana unconscious was one thing. Getting through to her and hopefully gaining information on her state was another. Diana's eyes focused, then moved to Leona's face. She looked as if she was trying hard to remember the person before her. She opened her mouth to say something, but only yelped in pain as she tried to move. Her arms shot out instinctively, covering her midsection. Leona gently pushed her back in place by her shoulders.

"Don't move," she insisted, though her voice was a bit squeaky. She cleared her throat. "Nod if you understand me."

Diana nodded faintly. Her breathing got even faster after the little movement she's just made and she was beginning to feel dizzy. She was hyperventilating and Leona knew that, too. She needed something to calm her down with.

"Can you feel your legs?" was the first thing that came to her mind. That would be a good way to start checking just how much damage the wound has implied. The nervous system seemed the easiest to check, or at least that's what she thought. Leona looked at her carefully, and strangely, only now did she realise she had been missing something about the blonde's appearance. The Moon symbol on her forehead was gone, but Leona couldn't know for how long. Certainly it was still there a few hours ago, even after they left the Rift. She felt her mouth slightly agape and quickly shut it.

"Yes," Diana answered after a while, snapping the Solari out of her thoughts, her voice almost inaudible. It was hoarse and shaky, the frantic breathing didn't help at all. "My stomach," Leona could barely distinguish the Lunari's words, but her hand acted faster than her conscious realisation, dashing for the vial the shopkeeper gave her before. Diana made a scowl, her eyes tearing from pain. "On _fire_," she gasped out.

Leona opened the cap hurriedly, but careful enough not to spill any of the contents. The bottle was more than half full with the slightly reddish liquid, but she had no idea how long it would have to last. Diana groaned, little droplets of sweat appearing on her strangely normal forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. Leona gently slipped one hand underneath the blonde's neck, urging her slowly upwards. She didn't want to cause her any more pain, but she had to put her in a suitable position.

"Here," she said softly, putting the glass bottle to Diana's lips. The girl still had her eyes closed, but she moved away a little bit at the contact. Leona sighed. "It's pain medicine," she tipped the bottle a bit, not knowing exactly what to do. Upon feeling her lips hit with the cold liquid, Diana gasped in surprise. A mouthfull of the potion numbed her tongue, making its way down her throat. She managed to swallow most of it, but still, she choked on the rest.

The Solari pulled her up to a sitting position quickly as Diana started to cough ferociously. She watched in terror as the bandage on the blonde's exposed midsection proceeded to turn from white into dark red with every succeeding cough. At this rate, Diana was going to pass out again from the blood loss.

"Calm down," she said soothingly, patting the Lunari gently on the back. She needed to unwrap the bandages and apply the potion again, she thought. But Diana was shaking in her arms and she couldn't do anything in this position. She felt hopeless for a second.

"Lie her down," said a voice from behind her back, which she quickly recognized as Katarina's. A pair of arms moved in to help support Diana's body on the way to the ground, and Leona let go of the Lunari hesitantly. She almost jumped over to the backpack and rummaged through it till she found the vial she was looking for. Turning back, she noticed Katarina already unwrapping Diana's abdomen. Tears ran down the Lunari's cheeks, her face contorted in pain and her bared teeth clenched tightly together.

"Guess you have me to thank for it," Katarina said to her, finally exposing the blonde's skin. Just as Leona thought, the Noxian moved her hands away quickly at the sight in front of her. The Solari was beside them quickly, the vial in her hand already opened. She took a closer look at the wound. Blood was running down Diana's sides, but it slowed down now that Diana was trying her best to lie still. The injury itself did look better than the last time Leona saw it, which could only mean the potion was indeed working. She applied a few drops and Diana inhaled sharply, but she didn't dare to move.

"What is it?" she asked faintly. Katarina was already reaching for a new roll of bandages from the backpack.

"I don't know," Leona answered honestly. She didn't even ask Thom what exactly was in that vial. "A potion. It helped a bit before."

Diana nodded and closed her eyes, her whole body stiff from pain and fright. Katarina handed the Solari the bandage she found, sitting down on Leona's previous spot against the tree. The Rakkoran mouthed a "thank you" to her.

"Something happened at the Fields of Justice," she started to keep Diana and herself occupied while she tried to bandage the blonde's stomach. The Lunari calmed down and listened to her, her eyes wide open at last. "We lost contact with our Summoners. Then the magical field disappeared. Katarina attacked you before she knew about it," she stopped to look over at the Noxian, but she was busy throwing sticks into the fire. Leona took a deep breath to clear her mind and tried to speak slower. "We had three casualties. Now we're somewhere in Freljord, half a day journey from the Fields in unknown direction."

"Whom?" Diana interrupted her shakily and Leona looked at her questioningly. "Who died?"

"Teemo, Warwick," she hesitated for a second, but Katarina was still playing with the fire. "And Cassiopeia. We had to escape the Rift in hurry."

"Why?"

"The big worm turned out to be an even bigger worm," Katarina spoke before Leona had the chance to. "From what the Crownguard girl said and we all believed for some reason, Baron Nashor was trying to get out from his underwater prison to eat us alive."

Diana shot her a funny look, but when she realised Katarina was not going to speak anything more, she turned her gaze back at Leona.

"She's telling the truth," the Solari admitted with a sigh. It really did sound ridiculous. "We had every reason to believe in Lux's words."

"Did you leave my sword?" The question surprised Leona, but she still looked over to the place where hers and Diana's swords lied, glistening in the fire's light. The heretic turned her head and saw them, too. Her expression relaxed a little bit and she closed her eyes, trying to even her breath. After a few minutes, she moved her hand stifly on the ground, pointing at the bottle containing the pain medicine. Leona was finished with dressing the wound, so she quickly reached over for it. She helped Diana into a sitting position again, the Lunari's body still trembling slightly from the strain. The blonde picked the bottle from Leona's hand and drank from it, feeling the bitter liquid numbing her tongue and the insides of her cheeks once more. She made every effort not to choke this time.

Leona touched the Lunari's cheek carefully. Her skin was still burning to touch, but it was a little cooler than before. She took the bottle from Diana's shaking hand and carefully put the blonde back down, noticing her own arms were trembling from exhaustion. Diana's fingers locked around the Solari's wrist, earning a tired smile from the redhead.

"May I spoil the mood?" Katarina's sarcastic voice pierced the air and she put a hand on Leona's shoulder to get her attention. "Go and rest. Both of you," she looked at the Solari harshly. "I'll take over the watch now."

There was something odd in Katarina's face that The Radiant Dawn couldn't quite understand, but despite it she gladly agreed to her offer. She couldn't deny how fatigued she was. The events of the whole day came back to her, crushing the little strength she still had. Diana's eyes were already closed and her breathing even when she covered her with the Sunfire Cape. The potion had to be a kind of soothing medicine as well, she figured. She lied down slowly beside the Lunari, careful not to stir her awake and pulled the purple cloak over her body.

She cast one last, thankful look at Katarina before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The rest of the night had gone by uneventful, safe for a minor disagreement between Katarina and Garen. Riven didn't bother waking Ashe up for her watch when the Exile's own was over. She felt well rested after the sleep she's had, even though she had woken up a few times to listen to the fighting duo. When the Freljord Queen arised on her own, Riven had been over with her morning excersise routine already.

"A bright, crisp day," she commented, taking up her broken sword from the ground, careful enough not to wake the others. The air wasn't as cold as during the night, but it was certainly cooler than the previous day. The crystals of ice were still visible on the trees out of their campfire's heat reach. The Frost Archer walked up to her, greeting the Exile with a nod as she tried to stretch her wounded leg. "Might be we'll catch something for breakfast."

"Maybe it would be better if you left it, then," Ashe pointed at the Exile's sword, smiling. "I'm going to be the one shooting, anyway. You'll have to carry the quarry, and your sword seems quite heavy in my eyes."

"Getting cocky, aren't we?" she laughed. "What if something attacks you from behind while you're taking your precious time aiming? Should I kill it bare-handed then, my Queen?"

"I wouldn't let myself be distracted enough to be attacked, my _guard_," she said in a mocking tone, but she was still smiling friendly. "And I don't _waste_ my precious time aiming. I know where to shoot."

Slalloming between the bodies sleeping on the ground, they started moving in the wood's direction. Ashe with her bow and arrows, Riven with her broken sword.

* * *

The white haired duo walked quietly, not disturbing a single dry, ice-coated leaf. Neither of them spoke for almost half an hour when Ashe, who was following behind the Exile stopped beside a large, low-branched tree. She recognized it as a young Boreal Oak, a rarity even in Freljord. During the few warm weeks of summer, it sprouted the most marvelously green leaves, but through the rest of the year it remained hybernated with only the lowest parts of its roots alive. It was massive and usually grew bigger than the trees surrounding it. Some legends pictured whole tribes living on the low, thick branches of the oldest trees. This one could be no older than the Frost Archer, though. She remembered having a brief talk with Zyra about it once. Right now Ashe wished the Rise of the Thorns could see the beauty in front of her.

"Riven," she started and the woman stopped, turning around at her. "Could you lift me up a bit?"

"You want to climb a tree now?" the former Noxian asked in disbelief as she studied Ashe's frail frame. She then remembered Katarina's words from the previous evening and had to stifle a laugh. "Can Queens even climb trees?"

"You may see for yourself," the Frost Archer grinned. "Just give me a lift to the first branch, I can't reach it."

Riven got over to her and looked up. The tree was tall, possibly one of the tallest in the woods and its crown was thick with branches. It had no leaves obscuring the view. No challenge for a skilled ranger or a very determined kid, but Riven still had her doubts concerning the Frost Archer.

"Maybe I should do it?" she pointed at Ashe's leg, still slightly limping. "You're not in the best condition for climbing."

"I will manage," she smiled. "My eyes are trained, I could see far more from the top than you."

With no further comments, Riven bent before the Queen, circling her arms just below the woman's hips. Ashe hissed involuntarily and the Exile quickly adjusted her arms not to touch the Frost Archer's injured thigh. That done, she lifted her up with ease. The lowest branch was no more than eight feet above the ground and even though Ashe wasn't the tallest woman around, their height combined was enough for her to catch the tree's limb. Riven let go of her and moved away quickly to avoid being kicked by one of the Queen's dangling legs. She was surprised to see the woman pull herself up with no more than a quiet gasp. Ashe crouched steadily on the branch and looked down at her.

"I'll see you in a moment," she said, pulling her hood down.

"Try not to fall," Riven answered with a laugh. She never supposed she would see the graceful Ashe of Freljord sitting on a bough, grinning like a very happy brat. "Your Majesty."

The Frost Archer ascended quickly. Finding the right place to land her hands and feet on wasn't tough and even the upper branches supported her weight sufficiently to feel safe. Soon she reached the top and cold wind played with her hair, deafening her with every blow. The air smelled familliar, a scent she had been missing the most during those really hot days at the Institute. Her heart beating fast, she clutched tightly to the tree trunk with one hand, using the other to hold the unruly strands of hair in place. Sun shone brightly on the snowy mountain tops ahead of her, and below them she could make out valleys and lakes hidden in the hills' shade. A flock of birds flew not too far away from her, screeching loudly against the wind. The woods around them were thick and they reached far in most places, but there were a few large clearings between the trees. Further north she could see the dark clouds gathering, a clear indication of an oncoming storm. Beyond the woods, tens of miles away, she saw the vast snow deserts of Freljord.

"Ashe!" she made out Riven's voice calling to her in between the gusts of wind. It really was the tallest tree, after all. A shimmer of water caught her eye on the nearest clearing, no more than ten miles northward from the smoke of the fire from their camp, a few hundreds yards behind her back. The fastest way out of the woods was right there, across the river, but it seemed to end with a cliff. Another shout made her cast one last longing look at the scenery before her and after a final blow of the cold air through her hair, she started on her way to the ground.

It's always easier up than down, Ashe thought bitterly, cursing silently as yet another branch cracked under her foot. This was the very reason her parents never allowed their Princess to climb trees when she was a kid. The Archer could always find her way to the top, but she could never get back on the ground. A yelp escaped her mouth as the sole of her boot slipped on the icy coat and she fell a few feet down. She could hear Riven shouting again and she swore to herself not to screech again like this. After what seemed like forever, she landed on what she assumed was the exact same branch she started from. This one was higher up, though, a good twelve feet above the ground. There was no way the Frost Archer could get on the other side of the thick tree to climb down. She got stuck.

"Come on, jump," she heard Riven's reassuring voice. Ashe half expected to see a mocking grin on her face, but the Exile looked at her worried. "It's only a few feet."

"It's too high," she retorted, feeling ashamed of her sudden fright of height. She patted her wounded thigh gently. "I can't land with my leg like this."

"It's alright." Riven's supportiveness was beginning to make the Frost Archer feel uncomfortable and weak. "I'll catch you. On three."

With the last digit of the Exile's short countdown, Ashe let go of the trunk and jumped.

* * *

Lux came into the camp with another handfull of berries, laying them along with the rest on a rather big pile. Katarina looked at them critically, taking one between her fingers and holding it up to the sun. It was red and looked juicy and delicious, but she knew better than to trust that. Usually, the prettiest berries were the deadliest ones. She could swear the plants were trying to poison them all the time.

"Is it even edible?" she voiced her doubt to no one in particular.

"Hm, let's see," Thom appeared beside her out of nowhere, taking one of the berries and doing the exact same thing Katarina did just a second ago. She rolled her eyes, but the shopkeeper didn't seem to mind her. "Luxanna, could you show me the shrub you've found them on?"

"With pleasure," she answered politely, and Katarina made an amazing effort not to jump up to her and slap her across the face. When they left, the Noxian ran her hand through her red mane, tugging at it slightly. For a moment she wished she had stayed on the Fields, alone.

"Katarina," she heard Garen's deep voice behind her and her whole body stiffened. Now she wished she had killed everyone on the Fields when she still had the chance to. The Sinister Blade stood up, not looking at him even once before she took off for the woods. He didn't follow.

"Her behaviour, while it is extremely savage recently, is perfectly understandable." Terrence walked up to Garen and sat on the log with him, placing his sinewy hand on the young man's shoulder. "You seem troubled, Might of Demacia."

"She's dangerous like this," he started, looking at the dying fire. "Threatening innocent members of our group. She might be able to hurt them when they are most vulnerable."

"She kept watch during today's night," the old man pointed out. "Everybody woke up alive, even those we didn't expect to. The Radiant Dawn claims they wouldn't have managed without her help."

"You know the saying of women and boats, Terrence?" Garen asked after a while. The man nodded his head. "I know one of groups and Noxians. She's an explosive waiting for ignition."

"Maybe you should try walking a mile in her shoes," Terrence responded quietly in a bitter tone. "It doesn't help her you were the one to do it."

* * *

Somehow, surely lead by a higher force of some kind they all came back to the camp in time for a quick breakfast. Ashe and Riven caught a few hares on their way back and Garen roasted them over the newly set fire. Leona noticed the women were bruised and scratched in various places, but she decided it better not to ask. If they wanted to talk about it, they would start the conversation on their own. It turned out the fruits Lux gathered were Frostberries, a pretty common edible plant in Freljord and even though they tasted strangely like a mix of lemon and turnips, they all ate them to moisturize the meat.

"There is a river nearby," Ashe started, taking a handful of the Frostberries and a hare's leg. "About ten miles northward."

"You went ten miles north and _back_ in less than two hours?" Garen asked in disbelief in between the bites.

"No, I decided to climb a _tree _and take a look," Ashe smiled sweetly at Katarina, who returned an equally sweet smile at her. "These woods go on tens of miles in every direction, but the river leads to a bigger path out."

"So north we go," stated Garen, standing up to emphasize his point. Truth be said, he was only getting rid of the bones, throwing them on a pile behind the log he sat on. The young hares tasted much better than the boar from the previous night.

Diana felt stronger in the morning, but still she couldn't bear the thought of eating. She lied down throughout the breakfast with her eyes closed, but she listened carefully to every word said. She still felt lost, more than any other member of their group. She missed a whole day full of events and even though Leona and Lux tried their best to fill her in on the situation, there were certain things her feverish mind couldn't grasp. The Moon symbol was still gone from her forehead and when Leona asked her about it, the blonde didn't have an answer to the issue. It wasn't a problem for her, though, at least not yet. Almost half of the pain potion was gone already and the Solari was beginning to worry about it.

"What about Baron Nashor?" Diana asked her quietly, trying not to interrupt Riven and Garen's lively talk. "You said he shook the ground underneath you. The whole Rift?"

"Yes," the Solari answered, putting a the back of her hand to the blonde's forehead. Her fever went up again when she woke up in the morning and hasn't decreased since. "Lux says he's enormous. He was kept underground for some time and with the magic gone, he decided to free himself."

"How far away are we from the Fields?" she asked. "Would we still see him if he escaped?"

"I don't know," Leona answered honestly. She had been too occupied with getting away to actually pay attention to the path. "I suppose not. We've travelled more than half a day, but with some difficulties. We might have covered twenty miles, might have been ten. No less than that. Can you recall anything from yesterday?"

Diana seemed lost in thought for a moment and Leona didn't push her to answer. She could see how difficult it was for the girl to talk, and she could hear it in her voice as well. The wound started to heal, but it would surely take some time for Diana to walk again. The Solari checked her other injuries in the morning, discovering a few minor cuts and bruises together with a bitemark she could only associate with Cassiopeia. She had to get into a fight with the Du Couteau sisters and teleport back to her fountain before they all lost connections with their Summoners. Terrence was the one who cleansed her blood of Cassiopeia's venom, though. The Lunari had to get to the base mere seconds before the Event. She was lucky to be alive.

"You carried me from the base," Diana said so quietly Leona barely heard her talking. "I remember it, vaguely."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading this chapter! I'm sorry for the long wait. I've just finished my final exams, so I'm going to have a lot of time to write now. Updates will be still irregular (I can't ever be regular with anything), but I will try to post at least one new chapter every two weeks.

If you enjoyed (or not) please leave a review. I really look forward especially to those critical ones.


End file.
